Casino Trivia
Quote: AyecarumbaWithout looking it up of course, "What country currently has the oldest operating casino in the world?" For bonus points, what year did it open?
Id have a guess at Monaco, and say around 1890.
Quote: AyecarumbaWithout looking it up of course, "What country currently has the oldest operating casino in the world?" For bonus points, what year did it open?
My asumption is "oldest operating" means continuous operation. For that you need an anchient society. So I will say China and make a SWAG on the year guessing 1799.
Quote: CroupierId have a guess at Monaco, and say around 1890.
A good guess. According to Casino B Blog the Casino de Monte Carlo was established in 1856. However, it is not the oldest.
Quote: WizardHmmm. Good question. I'm going to guess somewhere in the ancient Arab world. I think there are still casinos in Lebanon so I'm going to go with that. It would not surprise me to see the answer as Jordon or Egypt, but Lebanon feels better.
A surprising answer. I suppose it is possible that there is someplace "off the grid" that may actually be "ancient", but joints in the Middle East were not on the list I found.
Is it that they are banned by orthodox muslims? Or perhaps the lists I counsulted have a bias? This may be a good topic for another thread.
Quote: NareedI'll try a real stab in the dark: San Marino?
As Europes oldest republic, a good guess, but according to www.gamingguide.net, there are currently no licensed casinos operating in San Marino.
Quote: AyecarumbaAs Europes oldest republic, a good guess, but according to www.gamingguide.net, there are currently no licensed casinos operating in San Marino.
My guess was based on the origin of the word "casino." It's Italian for "small house." I figured San marino might have some, and they do speak Italian there. Too bad.
Winner! Of course, I cheated a little, in the same way Nareed mentioned. Figured casino=Italian=Italy.Quote: teddysI'll say Italy.
Has anyone been to the Venezia casino? (The real one; not Shel Adelson's monstrosities.)
I see they are having a Chemin du Fer championship in a few weeks. Anyone want to give it a shot?
Quote: AZDuffmanMy asumption is "oldest operating" means continuous operation. For that you need an anchient society. So I will say China and make a SWAG on the year guessing 1799.
Well reasoned, and similar to the Wizard's Middle Eastern guess, possibly right, but undocumented. I think the Maoists would have put the kibosh on any public places after WWII, even if some underground joint in Macao may have slid by. This needs more research. Perhaps Stanley Ho can shed some light on gambling in China. On the other hand, it seems that he has his hands full suing for control of SJM holdings with his three surviving wives (out of four) and their 17 children.
Quote: teddysI'll say Italy.
Buon lavoro, teddys! According to Casino B Blog, and the casino's ownwebsite, the Casino di Venezia in Italy is the oldest in the world. It opened in 1638.
Quote: AyecarumbaBuon lavoro, teddys! According to Casino B Blog, and the casino's ownwebsite, the Casino di Venezia in Italy is the oldest in the world. It opened in 1638.
Interesting that they have Caribbean Stud Poker and Texas Hold'em poker, but not craps. Seriously, Europeans are funny that way ;)
Oh, they seem to have a variety of different roulettes.
Quote: teddysWinner! Of course, I cheated a little, in the same way Nareed mentioned. Figured casino=Italian=Italy.
Has anyone been to the Venezia casino? (The real one; not Shel Adelson's monstrosities.)
I see they are having a Chemin du Fer championship in a few weeks. Anyone want to give it a shot?
I played there back in 1999 and I got sick of all the back betting on BJ. The didn't have a real roulette wheel at the time either, just an automated one. Not to mention the Lire was almost worthless compared to the US greenback. Pretty lame all around.
According to a TV show I saw, the world's oldest continuously operating restaurant is in China. I don't recall the city. The restaurant was more like a stall that just sold simple noodle dishes.
There are casinos in some of the more liberal Arab countries. For example, Lebanon, Morocco, and Egypt.
